


once upon (a 'time' remix)

by thecluelessphilosopher



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: Birthday Party, Bisexual Penelope Bunce, Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Growing Old Together, Immortality, M/M, Multi, Teacher! Baz, Vapirism, Wedding, follows the gang through their lives through one-shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24920068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecluelessphilosopher/pseuds/thecluelessphilosopher
Summary: Simon and Baz get their happily ever after, but they can't help wondering, is it forever?For @clevelandy for the Carry On Remix. I hope you enjoy, I had so much fun writing this fic. From the moment I looked at your AO3 profile I knew I wanted to remix this one, really hope it lives up to the fantastic original.
Relationships: Dev/Niall (Simon Snow), Keris/Trixie (Simon Snow), Penelope Bunce & Simon Snow, Penelope Bunce & Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch, Penelope Bunce/Shepard, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37
Collections: Carry On Remix





	1. Part One: June 22, 2016, Age 18

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clevelandy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clevelandy/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21932020) by [clevelandy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clevelandy/pseuds/clevelandy). 



**BAZ**

My second semester at Watford was torture. For one, I’d never spent so much time away from Simon, at school, even when we were enemies he was always there, he was always a constant.

I grew up with Simon Snow at the top of a tower for eight years and even before I realized it, I had given him my heart.

Without it, without  _ him,  _ more than anything I felt like I was floating away from myself. 

I suppose it was to be expected to feel that way to some extent when finishing school anyway but it was especially jarring to go through that without Simon. 

I visited him every weekend, as though I barely existed at Watford and only came alive once I was with him. I think that has always been true to some extent. Even before we were together, I came alive around him. 

He stayed with the Bunces, which was good for him, I think. Her house is seldom a place for silence. Silence can be dangerous, it's easy too get lost in it. 

He always seemed glad to see me but never like he was fully there, never like he ever really saw me. It was like he was trapped in his own head for too long to see the world around him. 

Once he and Bunce moved into a flat together and I moved into Fiona’s old flat he got better for a little bit, more present, more cheerful but now that we’ve gotten into routine, it's like he’s started to pull back from me. 

He’s lost so much of his shine but I still see the fire I always did, I hope one day he can see it too. 

I haven’t told him I love him. I do. Crowley, I love him so damn much. With him, every single thing I ever tried to teach myself about cynicism and wisdom is drowned out by the vision of lanterns floating above a lake and lighting up the night sky, as well as other horribly romantic things that are far too cliche for me to admit to thinking about.

We’re not sure what Simon’s exact birthday is but ‘June 21, 1998’ is what’s written on his birth certificate so we collectively have decided it's a time to celebrate. 

“So Simon’s a cancer, I suppose” Bunce whispers as we wait for Simon to come home from the wild-goose chase Bunce sent him on. 

“Really? I thought he was a Gemini?” Trixie replies from behind the wastebasket. 

“Wait let me look it up,” Keris says, pulling her phone from her purse. The more and more I think about it, the more foolish it was to invite all of Simon’s friends from Watford. 

“I think he’s a Cancer,” Rhys starts “it makes sense too, he’s protective and he relies on his emotions, like a Cancer,”

“Snow is way more of a Gemini,” Dev pipes in, since school ended we’ve started hanging out with Dev and Niall quite a bit, turns out I never gave them enough credit, they’re good people. 

“Yeah, Dev’s right, talkative, social, caring...” Niall lists, “that’s Snow to the T,”

“Okay hang on,” Bunce says, rising from her place behind an armchair “Simon is totally a Cancer, and I wouldn’t describe him as talkative; social, sure, I’ll give you that, but as his best friend, he’s a cancer,”

The room quickly dissolves into chaos, Trixie even turns on the lights so she can properly intimidate Gareth though I’m not sure how effective that is considering her...pixie-ness.

“Astrology is a stupid Normal, construct,” I start “but as Simon’s  _ boyfriend _ ,” I shoot a look at Bunce “he’s a Cancer.”

“Yes!” Bunce shrieks as the voices get louder.

I vaguely hear Trixie say “Keris what to the dates indicate,” and a flustered Keris shout back “conflicting sources!” but for the most part it seems there’s a lack of consensus. 

After a few moments of arguing we all hear “HEY!” coming from the doorway. 

I turn around to see a confused Simon Snow closing the door to his flat behind him.

“Penny, I couldn’t find any tampon cleaners, I’m starting to think those aren’t a thing,”

“Surprise!” Bunce shrieks manically with a lopsided grin and a crooked pointy party hat. 

“What’s going on?” Simon asks with a confused chuckle. 

“We tried to throw you a surprise party, Snow,” I try. 

“Well how did you mess that up?” he asks with an attempted eyebrow raise. 

“Ah wit, like a Gemini,” Dev says as Bunce and Gareth both glare at him. 

“Are you kidding me, I’m totally a Cancer,” Simon says as if it's nothing. 

“Told you!” Bunce raises her hands above her head and does an embarrassing victory dance. 

Simon smiles. I go hug him and whisper “Happy Birthday, Snow,” in his ear. 

He goes to greet the guests with various awkward bro hugs and kisses on the cheek as I lean back and admire this little bit of happiness away from all of the darkness Simon’s seen recently. 

“Good job, Bunce,” I say as I pass her to get some punch. 

“You too, Pitch,” I like Bunce, she’s smart and surprisingly funny. She also loves Simon, maybe as much as I do, which, these days, is a good enough quality to make me like someone.

Simon makes his way over back over to me after a while with a blindly happy look on his face. 

“Thank you, Baz,” he says looking up at me.

“You’re very welcome, Snow,” I reply, wrapping my arm around his shoulder.

“You know what I’d  _ really  _ like for my birthday?” he laughs at how deeply I flush. 

“Nothing like that!”

“Then what would you like, Snow?”

“I’d like for you to call me Simon,”

“Why?”

“Because it’s my name,” he says. 

“Snow’s also your name,” I reply.

“It’s my birthday, Baz, you have to do what I say,”

“But I already got you a really good gift,” Cook Pritchard’s sour cherry scone recipe. Simon pouts. 

“Fine,” I concede.

“Thank you, Baz,”

“You’re very welcome, Simon,” he grins so wide it almost makes me want to never call him anything but Simon, but then it would lose its impact. Just for today, I figure.

“Time for cake, boys,” Bunce beckons us over to the kitchen counter as she lights the candles. 

“Make a wish, Si,” she says. Simon blows out the candles and the room erupts into a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’.

As we sing, I think about my future, a future that won’t have Simon in it forever. I haven’t figured out how the whole immortality/vampire thing will look. I mean, obviously I’ve aged thus far but, odds are I’ll live a hell of a lot longer than Simon. 

I really don’t want to ever have to look at a world without Simon goddamn Snow. 

Then he looks at me with those beautiful blue eyes and I decide to love him while I can. 

For now, just for this moment, it's like a fairytale. 


	2. Part Two: October 21, 2022, Age 25

**BAZ**

Penelope Bunce was the last person I expected to marry a Normal, but she and The Shepard have this disgusting kind of fairytale love that just makes sense. Bunce loves magic the same way I do, the same way Simon did at some points in his life. With wonder and reverie, I suppose that’s kind of the way Shepard loves her. 

Simon and I sit in our apartment, that we share with Bunce and Shepard and Wellbelove and Dev and Niall and at times, Trixie and Keris. Wellbelove moved back to London a little bit after the fiasco in America where we first met Bunce’s husband-to-be. She says she doesn't regret moving, and she shouldn’t, she grew a lot, but I supposed she missed home. 

The “if you hurt her I will kill you talk,” is something we should have done before the day before the wedding an hour after the rehearsal dinner. 

“So, Shepard,” Simon starts awkwardly, “we know, you’re a good guy, but Penelope, is um, my best friend, as you know, she’s, um, she’s like my sister,” he flashes me a panicked look.

“Right, and uh, she’s our family, we care about her, very much,” I try. 

“Are you guys trying to tell me you want Pen and I to move out after the wedding? I’ve been thinking you might ask-” Shepard tries. 

“What? No?” I say.

After a few moments of Simon stammering around his words he tries again, fiddling with his tie and incessantly running his hands through his hair. 

“Right, okay, so Penny’s my best friend, and you’re marrying her-”

“You guys don’t have to give me the don’t-hurt-her talk, I get it, really,”

“Well, actually, um, uh, we just wanted to say uh,” Simon’s voice raises an octave.

“Oh fuck this,” I say standing up from my seat on the couch next to Simon and moving to stand over Shepard “listen up, Omaha boy, I like you, I really do, but Penelope Bunce is the best kind of person, and if you dare try anything with Simon’s sister, I will rip out your vocal chords with my fangs.”

“That was so hot,” Simon breathes once we’re out of the living room.

“Thank you very much, Simon,”

The next day, Simon has me up at the crack of dawn to get things ready for Penelope Bunce’s wedding. 

We cleaned the apartment after Shepard left for the hotel for some reason I can’t figure out other than the fact that Simon needed something to do. He double checks everything with the caterers, florists, and venue first thing in the morning. He’s really stepping up as Best Man, for Bunce I have to give him credit for that.

Nine am rolls around and Bunce and I are stunned out of our reruns of  _ Friends  _ by a frantic Simon Snow rushing us into a car to get to the wedding venue.

“Relax, Simon, it's just a wedding,” Bunce says extrapolating herself from the couch cushions.

“Just a wedding? JUST a wedding? This is not ‘just a wedding’, Penelope, no.  _ This  _ is my best friend’s wedding, this is the wedding of the century, this is the most important day of your life!”

“Oh please, the most important day of my life was the day I met you,” Bunce replies simply. 

“That’s really sweet but there’s not time to be sentimental.”

“Yeah, Bunce, weddings are no time for emotion,” I drawl.

“Exactly!” Simon realizes my sarcasm. 

“Okay, I do not have time to deal with your sass today, mister,” he says comically wagging his finger at me. I try not to laugh. 

“Why are you guys just standing around? We have to get Penny to hair and makeup!”

Simon rushes the three of us into a towncar and diligently goes through a list of things they were supposed to get done before the wedding day (“did you remember to invite guests?” and “Shepard does know when this is, right?”).

“Honestly Simon, you really are bridezilla! I feel bad for you, Baz,”

Simon goes quiet for the first time today. This is something I’ve thought about, a lot, recently but not something we’ve explicitly  _ talked  _ about. I may have already bought a ring.

“It’s my wedding day, boys, no time for your horrible communication habits!”

“Hey!” I say but it's for naught as Simon agrees with her and continues down the list. 

We get through hair and makeup as the first people at the venue, Penny’s team starts immediately and reprimands her for being late as Simon and I walk through the floor and take care of vendors. 

At around 2pm Simon and I are roped into a costume change (Simon looks dashing). We dawn matching black suits with yellow ties to go with Penelope’s dress, which the two of us have yet to see the finished version of. 

Various members of her family filter in and out of the room we’re in located on the same floor as where the dinner will take place. Her mother sticks around for quite some time but reluctantly goes outside to where the ceremony will be held to greet the guests as they start to arrive. The ceremony is scheduled for four pm. 

The whole time Simon remains relatively calm in surprising contrast with his frantic planning from earlier today and for the past six month. It's one of the most beautiful things to witness. The love that Penelope and Simon have is so limitless. It’s like he’s in a trance of happiness for her. 

“Ahh this thing is so hard to put on!” Penelope says as she struggles from behind the room divider. 

“Need any help?” Simon calls attentively. 

“No, I’m alright, just got to - zip,” she manages out, obviously frustrated. 

Bunce walks out from behind the divider as a vision. 

Her dress is yellow which pops out against her skin tone. The skirt is detailed with silver beading depicting scenes from her favorite books with a rose on the waist for the first story she ever fell in love with. Beauty and the Beast. Overall it's simple and light but just a bit eccentric and unique. It's perfectly Penelope. 

“Well...” she says nervously twirling.

“You look beautiful, Pen,” Simon says in awe. 

“Really? I’m worried the scenes are too much...”

“It's perfect, Bunce,” I interject as I notice Simon dabbing his eyes. 

“Thanks, Baz.”

We stand looking at each other wondering how it is that we’re not still those impulsive children in boater hats. I want to say more but Simon and I both have to make best man speeches so I decide against wearing out my material. 

“Simon? Basil? It's time to head up there!” The wedding planner says. 

I give Penelope a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Simon goes up to her and gives her a big hug, he whispers something in her ear that I don’t hear but they both chuckle even with tears in their eyes.

It's strange to think the three of us became a weird little family. A lifetime of love I never thought I deserved somehow fit perfectly in the past seven years. Even amidst it all there’s this nagging feeling at the back of my head that tells me I’m gonna outlive the happiness. I think I’m damned to a life where all good things really do end. 

“Alright boys, no more tears, I love you two,” Penelope says, wiping her eyes.

Simon and I walk up the aisle with Shepherd's sisters and take our places by the altar. 

The wedding is beautiful. There are roses in these little golden bubbles floating around the altar that are definitely magic but we passed off as special effects to Shepard’s normal family. Lights are strung everywhere and rose petals covering almost every inch of the aisle. Somehow smells of jasmine. 

Penelope glides down the aisle with her mother and father at her sides. She stops at the end of the aisle and kisses both of her parents on the cheek. She walks up the stairs that Simon build and takes her spot across from Shepard. 

The officiant, Penelope’s older brother, the one who was part of the Mage’s Men prompts the couple to exchange their vows and Bunce pulls out a piece of paper from some hidden pocket. She succeeds in making the whole room cry. 

The ceremony ends tearfully and we transition into the main building for the reception. 

“Baz,” Simon says, grabbing my forearm. 

“What is it, love?” 

“I forgot to write a speech. I did everything else by I forgot to write a fucking speech for my best friend.” Oh  _ no _ . 

“Oh my,”

“What do I do?”

“You’ll be fine, Simon, just speak from the heart,” I say unconvincingly. 

“Snow, you know her better than anyone, forget everything else, just tell your best friend how much she means to you,”

Simon still looks panicked but a little bit less crazed as we walk into the dining room. 

Shepherd's sisters speak and then it's my turn. I stand up from my seat next to Simon.

“I’ve known Penelope Bunce for most of my life, I’ve known her as a classmate, a peer, and even an academic adversary, a very worthy one, I might add. But, Bunce, there’s not a feeling in the world that compares to being your friend. Anyone who has had the honor of being called your friend knows that it's not a title you hand off lightly. You are a kind person, one of very few genuinely good people. But more than that you’re strong and brave. You look in the face of injustice and you stare it down. You, Penelope Bunce, are an unstoppable force and you’re fucking fearless - oh I’m sorry. Anyway, the man who has the honor of being your husband better be worthy, you really are the best of us. So congratulations Penny, my classmate, my peer, my messy roommate, my friend, and, Shep, watch yourself.”

Penny comes up to give me a hug (an occurrence we did not account for) and then Simon stands up to give a speech. 

“Right, thanks for making me cry right before giving a speech Baz!” he starts strongly, earning a chuckle from the crowd. 

“Penny, I met you when I was lost. I was eleven-years-old, and scared but you, against the advice of the people around you, became my friend. You made me feel loved and like I had a home. For so long you let me cry on your shoulder and you help me get out of the messes I made. You made me laugh when I was sad and you took care of me when I couldn’t take care of myself. You didn’t just change my life, you saved it, more times than I can count. You are my best friend, my soulmate, the love of my life, sorry Baz, but she is. I’m so damn grateful you disregarded all the people telling you I was trouble because, even though I am an incredible amount of trouble, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I hope that Shepard can bring as much joy into your life as you brought into mine. I don’t doubt it, you guys really are made for eachother. I love you, Penelope, congratulations.”

I don’t realize I’m crying but, to put it simply, I really do stan their friendship. 

After dinner Simon pulls me into Penelope’s dressing room. 

“Your speech was really great,” he says.

“Thanks, yours was too, I told you you’d do great, Snow,” he smiles up at me. 

“Yeah I was really nervous, I think I just needed some time away from the crowd,”

“Alright, love,” I pull him on the couch next to me and he folds his legs under himself while I wrap my arm around his shoulders. 

It's perfect, in a way that I never thought I’d ever be able to experience. Amidst all the happiness, here’s Simon and me in a little bubble of quiet understanding, just for a moment. Times like these make it even harder to think of a life without him. 

It's after midnight when the champagne bottle pops. 

Simon, Penelope, Shepard, Wellbelove, Dev, Niall, Trixie, Keris, and I congregate in our shared apartment, a strange group of people to live together but somehow it seems to work. 

“To Pepard!” Wellbelove starts. 

“Pepard? No! We’re totally Shenelope,” Bunce interjects. 

“Shenelope, I like it,” the newly Mr. Bunce agrees. 

“Well then,” Wellbelove tries again, “to Shenelope, true love’s incarnate, Romeo and Juliet irl, and my personal favorite straight passing bi couple,”

“To Shenelope!” we chorus.

The festivities continue in a tired haze but a happy one nonetheless. I suppose nothing will really be different now that they're married, they’ll still live with us for a while but at least Shepard will stop annoying her. He’s been trying to get Bunce to marry him since six months after they started dating. 

The couples and Wellbelove retreat back into their rooms as do me and Simon. We really do live in the queerest possible apartment. 

“Baz,” Simon takes my hand and sits across from me on our bed. I peer at him through the dark.

“What is it, Simon?” 

“Just take a deep breath, and remember this moment,”

“Alright...” I try suspiciously. We take a few seconds then Simon grabs my hand again and leads me to the fire escape.

“Now come with me,” he says with a mischievous grin. 

When we get to the roof (after a long climb) it’s completely dark. Simon flips a switch and it comes alive with soft candle light. 

He sits me down once again on a blanket in the middle of a roof. 

“Baz,” he starts, “I love you, my biggest regret is that it took me so long to realize I’ve always loved you,”

He waves his arm and what can only be described as stardust surrounds us in mid air, I didn’t even realize he had his wand. His magic has been coming back slowly but this, wow, it probably took a hell of a lot of power. 

“Baz,” he turns my face to look at him “will you marry me?”

He sounds genuinely curious, like the answer could be anything other than yes. 

“Simon,” I say softly “I’ve been yours for longer than I care to admit,”

His face breaks out into a wide grin. It reminds me of a time when Simon barely ever let his smiles reach his eyes. It makes me that much more grateful to be here with him now. 

I reach out to cup his jaw and kiss him, trying to make him understand how much I love him. 

I want to spend the rest of my life making Simon Snow smile. I know I can’t. I know I’ll spend my whole life loving him anyway. 

He puts the ring on my finger and I reach into my pocket to pull out the cold ring with silver detailing I’d picked out for him.

“Hey, Si,” I start “you kind of beat me to it, but I was also gonna ask you to marry me,” 

“Well do you have a ring?”

“Of course,”

“Than of course I’ll marry you, Basil,”

I slip the ring on his finger with a goddamn giggle and look more closely at my own. 

“This is my mother’s ring,”

“I visited your father to ask him for permission to ask you to marry me and he gave it to me,” I did the same with Penelope, it seemed appropriate, she’s his family. 

“Really?”

“Yes, I think he actually likes me!”

“Oh please, he loves you, my whole family does,”

He just grins again and we fall asleep on the blankets. 

We wake up with the sunrise and make our way to the kitchen where Bunce and Mr. Bunce are making coffee. The two of them decided not to go on a honeymoon until later because Bunce is working on her PhD. 

“Morning, Pen,” Simon says cooly. We wordlessly decided not to say anything about our engagement and just wait to see if they notice the rings.

Simon starts to make breakfast for us, he’s a surprisingly good cook. He pulls out the ingredients for sour cherry scones, that recipe was definitely the best birthday present ever. 

“Simon,” Penelope starts calmly, “is that a fucking engagement ring?”

“Is it?” Simon says slyly. 

“Baz! You proposed?” she asks with a manic grin. 

“Actually he proposed first,” 

She hugs us both fiercely and Shep congratulates us. 

“Guys, get in here, Snowbaz is getting married!” Penelope calls as our roommates move through the living room into where the ruckus is in the kitchen. 

Our friends congratulate us and I’m once again greeted by a rare moment of pure happiness. 

It's not forever though. None of this is. 

I’m forever, but none of the happiness is. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to check out my [tumblr](http://the-clueless-philosopher.tumblr.com) and [clevelandy's](https://motherscarf.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	3. Part Three: June 4, 2027 - Age 30

**BAZ**

KerisandTrixie and DevandNiall moved across the hall last year when Bunce had Ciana and Layla, which, in hindsight, was probably a good decision given the amount of noise pollution that now populates the apartment.    
  
We’re lucky enough to live in a pretty big place, six bedrooms but two kids take up a lot of space. 

I get a call late in the afternoon while Shenelope & co. are having a family dinner with their kids and Simon is working late. ‘Mitali Bunce’ flashes across the screen. I answer the phone with a thousand horrible car crash scenarios running through my head. 

“Hello?”

“Hello, Basilton, how are you?”

“I’m well, Mrs. Bunce, and you? Is everything okay?”

“Oh everything's quite alright, dear, I’m sorry it must have been quite a shock to get a call from me,”

“On the contrary, ma’am it's always a pleasure,” 

“Basil, for the hundredth time, you don’t have to call me ‘ma’am’! And please call me Mitali!”

“Of course,” I start awkwardly. “Mitali”.

“Good. Now I wanted to talk to you about Watford.”

“Watford?”

“Yes, as you know, I’m currently headmistress,”

“Yes...”

“Basil, I’ve known you for a very long time, I know you’ve been working in archival sciences for a while but I want you to come teach at Watford School of Mages,”

“Teach? Am I even qualified?”

“Well, of course, you’d have to do a bit of mandatory training, but I’ve watched you for many years and I think you’d be splendid,”

“What subject would you want me to teach?”

“Literature, courses about the way that mages use language,”

“Wow, thank you for the offer, I’ll have to think about it,”

“Of course, let me know as soon as you can.”

We hang up the phone and I stare stunned out the window. 

“Hey Baz, Penelope asked if you could take Cianna and Layla - is everything okay?”

“Bunce’s mum wants me to teach at Watford,” I start, warily turning towards Simon. It's a fantastic offer, really, but Simon loves London, and I love my job, we’d have to move to the country.

“What? Really? That’s fantastic,” he smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He fiddles with the ring on his finger. 

“Watford’s in Dover,” I let out a humorless laugh.

“What are you going to do?” 

“I don’t know,” Simon nods and goes to put up the groceries. 

I never thought I’d ever go back to Watford, there are so many memories there that I’ve tried to distance myself from. Would my life just be teaching there forever? Living in London it's easy to forget that all my friends and even Simon, even Cianna and Layla will leave one day. London is loud and fast and there’s no room to dwell on my vampirism. 

Watford can be a painfully quiet place. 

Penelope Bunce bounds through the doorway breaking Simon and I out of our awkward silence like a goddamn hurricane. 

“Simon,” she starts, struggling to balance of her daughters on each hip “did you ask Baz if he - oh hey, Baz,”

“Simon started to ask me if I could take the girls but he didn’t say when,”

“Tomorrow, if that’s okay, Shep and I were going to go up to Watford to see mum,”

“Mrs. Bunce just offered Baz a teaching job there!” Simon says, trying to seem happy but coming off a little manic. 

“Really? Congrats, Baz. Why don’t we all go, then? Make a day of it, we can have tea with my mum and look around. If that’s okay, Si,” I look to Simon hesitantly. He hasn’t been back since just after America, he has as many mixed feelings about Watford as I do.

“Yeah, that’s fine, it's been a while, I can handle it,” he seems genuine so I go with it. 

“Great! We can drop the kids off across the hall!”

Penelope goes to make arrangements and presumably call her mother and berate her for not telling her about my job offer.

“Snow, I don’t have to work at Watford, I’m happy where I am, and if you want me too I can call Mitali now and tell her that,”

“Don’t be an idiot, Baz, it’s a great job, at least take a look around tomorrow and talk to the headmistress, then decide,”

“Wow, you really have mellowed with age,” Simon shoves me. 

“Oh shut up, vampire boy,” that stings more than it should’ve but I laugh anyway and Simon and I make dinner for ourselves while Shep and Penelope put their kids to bed. I really don’t understand how someone has ‘family dinner’ with nine-month-olds, but I learned a long time ago not to question Bunce’s parenting. 

“And it’s Pitch by the way,” that’s something that took some consideration, at one point he was even considering changing his name to Simon Snow Salisbury, but he said he had never been a Salisbury, but he wanted to be Pitch. Technically a Snow-Pitch, but the point still stands. 

The next day we wake up early to drive up to Watford, it’s about two and a half hours from London since it's just near Dover, but more like two hours when Simon drives, so we elect Penelope to drive. 

Its a mostly silent car ride, which I decide to blame on the fact that we haven’t been alone without Cianna and Layla in nine months. Shepard, the lug, manages to keep the vibe light, however. 

We arrive at Watford around three. Bunce looks at me as she parks with a worried look on her face and a nod towards Simon, who’s looking blankly out the car window. 

She and her husband get out under the pretense that they want to alert Mitali of our arrival, but I think she just wants to give Simon a few moments, a good plan all and all. 

“Simon,” I try.

He gives me a weak but thoughtful smile. 

“Are you alright, love?” I ask.

“I actually am, there are a lot of bad memories here but more than anything else, Watford was my home for a long time, that’s something not even the Mage can taint,” he says wisely.

“I suppose you’re right,”

“Think about it, this is where we met, Crowley, you were an ass,”

“And you were a self-righteous, terrible, Chosen One,”

“What a pair we are,” he muses.

“Indeed,” I chuckle. 

“You ready?” I ask delicately. 

“Ready,” he says as he gets out of the car and takes my hand. 

We walk across the lawn towards Mitali’s office. Everything looks the same fundamentally but nothing is. I watch the kids sitting under trees and running across the lawn. It's a Sunday so they have the day off classes and I suppose the school year is almost over so they must be spending as much time together as possible. 

Dev and Niall and I were never that way, they were with each other, I suppose but I was never present enough to fully appreciate my time with them. Regardless, like Simon, I do have some great memories that go along with the frankly traumatizing ones.

We see these two boys in a heated argument right outside Mummers House, one of them throws their arms up in anger and the other looks for a second like he might throw a punch but instead the first one stalks off and he just looks dejected. Reminds me of when I used to fight with Simon. 

“Ghosts,” Simon says thoughtfully.

“I think we're the ghosts, love.”

“I wonder if they’re secretly harboring hopeless love for each other,”

“That seems like the only logical scenario, yes,”

Simon suddenly tugs on my arm and pulls me running towards Mummers. He stops breathlessly in front of the door. 

“I wonder if it still remembers us,”

“Snow, what if somebody’s in there!”

“Oh hush, live on the edge, Baz!” I laugh and he pricks his finger on the door. It lets us in. A grin takes over Simon’s face and he pushes inside. 

It hits me with full force, the nostalgia. The room isn’t the same but it feels so heartbreakingly familiar and also distant at the same time. There are posters of different bands up all around the room, those were never here when we lived in this room. I didn’t care much to put my interests around for everyone to see and Simon didn’t have anything to put up. 

Both the beds are messy and unmade, I always kept mine neat and Simon never did. 

“Oh you’re right Baz, we are ghosts,” Simon breathes. He looks sad for a second but mostly he just looks content. I kiss him on the cheek and take him by the hand to lead him towards Mitali’s tower once again. 

The thing is, I was a ghost long before he was. And I will be one long after. 

Tea goes by quite uneventfully, we discuss my job and Simon’s new position writing comic books but mostly we talk about Cianna and Layla and whether Simon and I plan on having kids (we do). 

Mitali suggests that Shenelope and Simon take a look around the grounds and I’m left alone with her in her office. 

“Basilton, have you thought any more about my job offer,”

“A bit, but if I’m being honest, my life is in London, my husband is in London,”

“I understand, we’d love to have you, but this is an important decision for your family,”

In truth, I’d love to be here again, to teach people. To talk about magic and literature, two of my favorite things. Our whole family is in London, though Trixie, Keris, Dev, Niall, Shenelope & co.. Mitali stands up. 

“Baz,” I look up at her “teaching is one of the most gratifying things you can do, and I know you’ve always loved Watford,” She ushers me to sit down across from her at her desk, away from where we were having tea on her couch. 

“The thing is, I’ve been headmistress for over eleven years now, it's time I stepped down, the obvious choice to replace me was Miss Possiblef but she retired two years ago when she went to live in Scotland. All of the other teachers are much younger, some are good candidates but no one stands out. Basil, I want you to take my place when I step down in a couple of years,”

Suddenly, Simon and Penelope come through the door with smiles on their faces. 

Even Watford, a place that's always been there, I would outlive. Everything I love, I’d watch die. Or I’d kill myself before I did, what kind of life is that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to check out my [tumblr](http://the-clueless-philosopher.tumblr.com) and [clevelandy's](https://motherscarf.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter, it follows the events of the original 'time', which y'all should definitely check out.

**SIMON**

I never thought I’d meet my middle-age years. For a long time, I thought I’d die before I reached eighteen, then even after that, I sometimes couldn’t bear thinking about going on living. 

I’m glad I did. Now I have a husband and kids and a life. I got my fairytale ending, and let me say it doesn’t compare to the happily ever after. 

Baz and I live in a house in Dover, we have for eight years since Baz got promoted to headmaster. The youngest ever, his mum was thirty-five. He commuted for two years from London when he just taught literature and classics, but since he needed to be at Watford for longer, we decided to move. 

I miss living with Penny sometimes, but she, Shep, and the kids moved to Dover to teach at Watford as well a couple of years ago (as Dr. Bunce, I might add) so we see her and Shepard quite a bit. 

Morelia moved in with us once she graduated Watford the same year Baz became headmaster, so the house has never been quiet. It's a good thing, I think, quiet can become very suffocating. 

We adopted Natasha that same year, she’s eight now. 

I’m happy, more than that I’m content. I still write graphic novels, from Dover now, Baz and I are doing well. 

There’s something else, though, I’m forty. I’m more than halfway through my life, and Baz, well, Baz has barely lived at all in the grand scheme of his lifetime. 

Now, sitting across from him in the living room while he’s reading the newspaper, he can sense my unease. 

"Hey, Baz?" I ask. This is the way all of our important conversations have started I suppose. The two of us were never very good at communication but ‘hey, Baz?’ has made it possible for us to share our feelings, as cliché as that sounds.

Baz looks up at me and hums. He looks like he’s listening but not pressuring me to talk, it feels familiar, I guess we’ve learned how to make each other comfortable in weirdly uncomfortable situations. 

"I was just thinking," I pause and gather my thoughts "and, you don't have to give me an answer right now but,"

"Come on Snow, just ask." He says though he seems genuinely curious instead of annoyed. 

"It's not-" I feel like there’s an elephant on my chest.

"It's not just a question. It's a discussion... that we should have."

"I'm getting old," I say bluntly.

I know he’s thought about this before, he must’ve. Crowley, I can barely imagine what it would be like going through life and knowing everyone you love is going to die before you. 

"We're the same age, Snow. Are you calling me old?"

"You know what I mean, Baz."

This conversation is uncomfortable at best and I don’t want to directly bring up the one possible solution to all of this bit after so long with Baz, I’ve learned that we have to talk about shit like this. 

“What are you feeling, Simon?” I take a beat but quickly I have an answer, at the root of all of this, there’s fear. 

“I’m afraid Baz,” I say, he looks at me inquisitively. 

“I’m afraid that one day you’ll be pushing me around in a wheelchair and people will ask if I’m your father, I’m afraid that one day I’ll die and you’ll be all alone, I mean we don’t really know how this whole immortality thing works, do we?” He blinks. 

“But then there’s this other thing,” I start again, “I don’t want that life for you Baz, I don’t want you to be alone watching me die. You’re the love of my life, Baz, but your life has barely started. When I start getting all decrepit, I’d want you to leave, to go live your life but the thought of that…” I trail off, “one of us ends up alone, I’m afraid that's how this will end.”

"That's ridiculous, Snow. The first situation is much more likely. Except, there will be much less question about whether you are my father because I will probably be sitting in the wheelchair with you, snogging you until your oxygen tank runs out." 

"Seriously, Baz-"

"Seriously, Simon."

"When we met... I was immediately attracted to you. I've told you this. To your hair, your golden skin, your ridiculous moles... I wanted it all. And when you got a little bit older I wanted your hands, your broad chest, your smell. You still have all of that, Simon. You aren't losing it. And even if you do, I find new things attractive about you every day. You don't have to be worried about me not finding you fit when you're in a wheelchair, because knowing me I'll probably have the hots for wheels, or whatever. It doesn't matter. What matters is that it will be you, and I love you. And I'm not going to stop loving you."

"But-" I try to interrupt him because I’m not sure when push comes to shove any of that will be true. 

"I'm not finished, Snow."

"I don't see you aging as fast as you do, because I'm not looking for flaws in you. I love you. I will still love you when I have to change your diaper." That puts me at ease a bit, at least for now.

"But, I do understand what you're going through, I hate the idea that I might, one day, be a grumpy, albeit still ridiculously gorgeous, vampire, alone at the top of a tower who hates the world because the love of his life was taken away from him. I'm not afraid of you looking older than me. But I am afraid of..."

I nod, "you're afraid you won't be able to recruit me into your army of the undead before I'm actually dead."

“Sure, but don’t get it twisted Simon, you are the love of my life, you always have been, even hopelessly, but I don’t want you to have,” he gestures around wildly “this.”

"You don't want me to have all your cool vampire powers?"

"I don't want to burden you with this disease, Simon." I nod, I really do understand, I never wanted anyone else to have the burden of 'The Chosen One' but now we’re in this life together, his burdens are mine. If he has to watch his children and his family die, I can at least be there with him. 

"Any burden you're carrying is one that I'm willing to carry with you."

“Are you sure, Simon?” he seems relieved but then panic crosses his face “I mean no-Simon that’s not what I meant.”

"No, I'm not sure. And I'm not offering up my neck at the moment. This is something we'll have to... think about and talk about and... but I'm not completely averse to the idea, besides I know you’ve always wanted to taste my blood."

"True or not, right now I'd like to taste something else,” he whispers. I laugh and kiss him. 

I’m glad we were finally able to at least start talking about all that, it's a scary thought that I could leave Baz alone or vice versa. Right now though, it doesn’t matter, because once upon a time, there were two sides of the same coin, they were bound by an obligation to destroy each other but instead, they fell in love and lived happily ever after. 

Baz and I have all the time in the world to live happily ever after and in the end, that's all that matters. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to check out my [tumblr](http://the-clueless-philosopher.tumblr.com) and [clevelandy's](https://motherscarf.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


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